Sylvester
by TheDarkPlume
Summary: AU Season 3, pre-season 4. Following the death of Finn, Bonnie calls a truce with the Originals. She forms a close friendship with the Mikaelson siblings, jeopardizing her former bonds. But one Mikaelson wants more than Bonnie's friendship and is willing to go through extraordinary lengths to claim her. Some dark moments, mostly fluff. Kennett endgame.
1. Chapter 1

**Sylvester**

**AN: I saw the cutest cat on my porch a week ago. It's the neighbors from across the street little adopted joy. I really haven't had any contact with a cat since I was little and had my first and only pet cat. Something about that cute little feline on my porch got me to thinking. **

**For those of you who read the Vampire Diaries series (I personally only read the first four books), you remember that aside from Damon being able to transform into a crow and control the weather, Katherine had the same abilities, but with two animal forms. She could turn at will into a white and gold owl, and a snow-white kitten. I figured that as long as the Originals have been around they should be able to change into their animal forms at will.**

**It just so happens that Kol will be the one to change into his very least favorite, and according to him, his most shameful animal form.**

**And for those of you who enjoyed **_**To Love, Perish & Devour**_** I hope you can forgive me when I say that it was a one-shot and I have no plans of extending it. But don't despair! While I wrote this gem, I have in the works a Bonnie & The Originals bond fic, title still pending.**

**Pairings: Kol/Bonnie, Rebekah/Matt, Klaus/Caroline, Marcel/Lucy**

**Some mentions of Jeremy/Bonnie, Marcel/Bonnie**

**Let me know what you think and see you at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

Bonnie Bennett let herself inside the lavish mansion, slinging her purse on the table. "Bekah!"

"Oh, yes, witch, do come in!" Klaus called dryly as he flipped through one of his many ancient, therefore priceless tomes of forgotten lore.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, plopped on the couch beside the hybrid, and sighed loudly. "Where's Bekah?" she demanded.

"My sister's whereabouts are not my concern at the moment. However, I will be more than happy to pass along the word that you stopped by…" he waved his hand almost dismissively.

"What about the others?"

Klaus inhaled delicately. "Elijah is likely off needlessly buying another suit," his lips quirked upwards briefly as she giggled. "And Kol is most likely still sleeping off his high from Mindy or Macy. Whomever."

Bonnie's nose wrinkled. It was no secret that since being awakened Kol Mikaelson had gained the reputation of Mystic Falls High's biggest player. It didn't help that he was drop dead gorgeous and knew it. They clashed at the best of times, mostly because she had been the only witch, and probably the only girl in the Falls who had consistently resisted his charms. Kol might be the hottest thing on two legs in their town, but Bonnie had no interest in becoming his plaything until his boredom drove him to someone else.

"Then I guess you will have to do."

Klaus turned to Bonnie for the first time since she entered the room and lifted one single impertinent eyebrow. "Do for what?"

She swallowed down her jealousy for never achieving that perfect eyebrow lift and said, "Distract me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I had an incredibly shitty night and since Rebekah's in the wind and Caroline's clearly not being worshipped by you at the moment," he rolled his eyes, yet was unable to hide the warmth at just the mere mention of her name. Bonnie convinced herself she didn't feel envy of her friend for having the type of love that made your boyfriend's eyes light up with just the mention of your name. "It is your duty as my best friend's future hubby to make me feel better. It's in the guidelines."

"And what guidelines might those be?"

Bonnie smiled cheekily. "The Guidelines for Wooing Women Without Alienating Their Girlfriends."

Klaus groaned, but closed his book with a definitive snap. Bonnie beamed and turned slightly so that her head lay atop his knee. "I can recall, vaguely, a time when you would never consider leaving yourself as defenseless to me as you are now."

"Now, Klaus, we both know that I'm not at all defenseless."

But even she could agree that they had come a long way from her wielding the power of 100 witches ready to face off with the cursed hybrid possessing her history teacher. Finn's death and the grief she witnessed in the Mikaelsons opened her eyes and finally allowed her to see that gray area her cousin Lucy had tried to show her. That night she made the choice to help the originals get rid of their demented mother for the last time. By doing so, she gained four allies, four friends, dare she say, four family members. It was also in that same night that by doing so, she lost Elena, Jeremy, and by default, Stefan. Damon could walk off the highest cliff for all she cared.

Klaus's gentle fingers through her hair brings her back to the now. "What happened, love?"

The concern in his voice was enough to bring tears to her eyes. "It's nothing you would want to hear about, Klaus."

Klaus's frown deepened. He could easily distinguish her despair and the salt of her unshed tears as the heat of her magic burned around her. It was a sensation that was almost unpleasant to vampires who had never spent much time in the presence of witches, and completely unbearable to most fledgling vampires. But Klaus and his family were direct descendants of a witch. The heat of Bonnie's magic was neither oppressive nor unwanted. It had the adverse effect. It drew you in and warmed you like feeling the sun against your bare skin. Perhaps that was why they had all taken to her. Elijah, saw something of a daughter in her, Rebekah a baby sister, Kol, well, _everyone_ knew what Kol saw in her. As for Klaus, his feelings for Bonnie were a mixture of what both Elijah and Rebekah felt. She was like a sister and a daughter, strangely enough. Seeing her this upset was enough to awake the beast within him that demanded blood for every tear she shed.

"Tell me."

"Jeremy."

Klaus's fingers stilled in her hair for a moment, and Bonnie was suddenly regretting ever saying anything. "And what has little baby Gilbert done this time?" his voice was calm and low, and to be honest, completely effing eerie to Bonnie.

"He caught me at a weak moment and I agreed to go out with him last night."

"You know, love, if you are that unresisting to the _charms_ of little baby Gilbert you leave me with no other recourse than to assign you a hybrid bodyguard."

Bonnie frowned in distaste. "Your minions bother me."

Klaus chuckled lightly. "You and everyone else, love. That's much of the point. Before you tell me exactly why I need to tear apart baby Gilbert, what exactly led to your weak moment and subsequent folly of allowing him to date you in the first place?"

"Lucy invited me to come to the NOLA for Thanksgiving."

"Then I take it you are still keeping her in the dark about your fling with Marcel?"

Bonnie groaned and scrubbed her hands over her face. She had heard the Mikaelsons speak of Marcel often since they became close. She hadn't actually expected to meet him, but in the spirit of healing and reconnecting, Elijah reached out to Marcel and invited him to fly down to Mystic Falls for Klaus's birthday. It was an emotional moment for the family to say the least. There were suspiciously wet eyes and manly hugs all around. Even Rebekah managed to get the closure to her abrupt ending with Marcel after having to abandon him when Mikael got too close.

It was almost lust at first sight when Bonnie met Marcel. She was no virgin, having foolishly given that up to Jeremy when he confessed to seeing and cheating with the ghost of his vampire ex. Their couplings—after getting the clear from her Rebekah; the last thing she wanted to do was sabotage the budding friendship between them by breaking the cardinal rule of dating exes of your bff—were always wild, hot and beyond satisfying. Bonnie could happily say she was addicted to Marcel. But all it took was one fateful surprise visit from Lucy to bring their hookups to a screeching halt. Marcel fell, and fell hard for Lucy. Bonnie knew that she had lost Marcel the second he looked into Lucy's eyes. She imagined that was how Leah must have felt when she watched Sam see her cousin Emily for the first time through his shiny new wolf eyes. Yeah, Marcel had damn near imprinted on Lucy. What was worse than Marcel trying to fight it and hold on to Bonnie, were the pitying looks she received from the Mikaelsons. She knew they were monitoring his fidelity to them both. And while Bonnie knew Marcel didn't stop having sex with her just so he could start with Lucy, it bothered her how horribly their relationship had crumbled. So as the self-sacrificing martyr the Mikaelsons had strived to reform her from being, she stepped back and let Marcel pursue the woman he loved with Lucy being none the wiser. It was, after all, the better alternative to Kol's offer of ripping Marcel's heart from his chest and making a necklace out of it for her. He smiled when he offered, but she knew he meant that shit.

"No, and she won't ever. I know Lucy's not your favorite person because she was helping Katherine hide from you these last few years, but she's family and I could never begrudge her the happiness she has with Marcel now. Watching him trying to stay away from her just for my sake was painful enough."

Klaus sighed mournfully. They really were going to have to work harder on removing that nasty altruism the Salvatore Brothers managed to instill in her. "It's sweet that you seek to protect your cousin, but not at the expense of your own happiness."

Klaus just didn't seem to get it. "That's not what it was about. I never stood a chance against Lucy when it comes to guys." Klaus's frown deepened and Bonnie felt the need to explain. "I'm like the Kelly to her Beyoncé. A force to be reckoned with in her own right, but never quite capable of reaching her level."

Klaus stared down at her blankly. "I get the distinct impression that if I fully understood that reference I would be more than a little angry with you, love."

"You would be, brother." Kol chose that moment to announce his presence.

Bonnie turned towards the doorway to see Kol leaning against the frame. She inwardly sighed. He had the bed hair look perfected. He was shirtless with a pair of silk pajama bottoms hanging dangerously low around his hips. Bonnie wanted to lick his abs and from the smirk curling at his lips, he knew it.

She sat up and cleared her throat. "And just what would you know about Beyoncé?" she asked in her most haughty voice.

Kol tsked. "Now Miss Bennett, I will have you know that the vampire cheerleader from hell spent hours drilling me on the pop culture aspects of today, tomorrow, and the past. I had to compel her to get her to shut up."

Klaus growled. He shot over to where Kol was standing only to find him on the opposite side of the room appearing incredibly bored. "What did I tell you about compelling her?"

Kol pours a drink of Klaus's vintage scotch. "I would apologize, but it was either compelling her to exert her energies in shagging you senseless or snapping her neck. For future reference, I will be more than happy to go for the latter if you prefer."

"Kol," Bonnie interrupted when it was clear that there would be a fight if she didn't say something. "Your brother and I are talking. Don't you have something you need to do? Like finding a shirt, maybe?"

Kol's smirk deepened and he flashed in front of her. "Why, Bonnie, does my nudity offend you?"

"Yes." Lie.

"Then I suppose we will just have to work on that." He threw himself on the couch beside her in the place Klaus had occupied. "So, I hear that we are having a session with Dr. Nik today. Can I go next? There are so many issues I need to hammer out." He brought his hands together looking up at his brother with pleading, childlike eyes that had Bonnie fighting off laughter.

"Kol," Klaus groaned, already completely annoyed.

"For starters," he turned on the couch and impudently threw his legs across Bonnie's lap. "I am steadily approaching my one-year anniversary of being dagger free with absolutely nothing to show for it. Sure, there are my devastating good looks, my ability to attract legions of women by just my smolder alone." Bonnie rolled her eyes and looked over at Klaus who seemed to be restraining himself from doing the same. "And yet there is this one incredibly gorgeous woman who clearly has the self-esteem of a shelter puppy—ouch, woman!" he exclaimed when Bonnie reached over and pinched his arm. Hard. She may have used a little magic to get her point across. "Okay, fine, an incredibly beautiful shelter puppy."

"Kol, this is Bonnie's session, as you so tactfully put it," Klaus interrupted. "And she was just about to tell me all about her date with the Gilbert boy last night."

Kol's smile remained in place, but Bonnie could sense the change in the atmosphere. It was no secret that there was mutual hatred between the Gilbert and Mikaelson family. Still, Bonnie never quite understood Kol's issue with Jeremy when they barely exchanged five words.

"Oh?"

"Yes, Kol, I had a date with Jeremy last night." She bit her lip and turned to Klaus. "Can I trust you not to hurt or kill him if I tell you what happened?"

Klaus approached her carefully and kneeled before her taking her hands in his. There was pain in her eyes and a bud of apprehension slowly began to unfurl in the pit of his stomach. "Bonnie," the tone of his voice made her chin quiver as she gazed into his stormy blue eyes. "What did he do?"

Bonnie closed her eyes and said the three words that signed the Gilbert boy's death warrant. "He hit me."

Before Bonnie could blink, she was sitting alone on the couch with two very feral Originals standing before her. Bonnie quickly gathered her wits and placed a protective barrier around the mansion so that they wouldn't be able to leave until she calmed them down.

"Bonnie," Klaus was having difficulty forcing the words out as his wolf clawed at his insides demanding release. "Let us out and I swear to you Jeremy Gilbert will be nothing but a fading nightmare."

"No, Klaus, you can't hurt him. He apologized." It was a weak excuse at best, but Bonnie could never live with herself if Jeremy was killed because she didn't have it in her to suck it up and just deal.

"And that makes it all right?" Klaus snarled.

"Are you forgetting that you did the same thing to Elena the first night you came back to town?"

Bonnie felt like a bitch for bringing that up. Klaus, as volatile as he was now, was even worse back then. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, hands clenching and unclenching down at his sides. When his eyes opened again, it was with great relief to Bonnie that they were no longer that deadly hybrid yellow.

"You are not seriously letting this trespass go, brother?" Kol demanded, angrily.

But Klaus kept his eyes on Bonnie. "If it is not his death or vengeance you seek, why have you told us this?"

"I don't know!" tears fell from Bonnie's eyes. "I'm not that girl who gets beaten by her boyfriend and I know that last night was my fault—"

"Bonnie, _stop_." Klaus cupped her face between his hands, staring into her large emerald eyes. "This was in no way your fault. Whatever happened between you, whatever was said, there is no excuse for him to ever strike you."

While Klaus calmed her down, Kol paced agitatedly up and down the length of the room. His beast was rattling in its cage. _Brother, I cannot abide by this._

Even as Klaus continued to whisper soothing words to Bonnie, gently coaxing the story out of her, he responded in turn. _I know, but moving against him at the moment is not an option. We could stand to lose Bonnie forever if we do._

_We can make it look like an accident._

"…just didn't understand that I'm still trying to forgive him for turning against me. How could he possibly think I would be ready to sleep with him again just because he apologized?"

_And now he is attempting to force himself on her? I cannot let him live._

_He will suffer for his crimes against her, brother. But for now I need you to stay by her side and keep her safe._

_How the bloody hell am I to accomplish that? She can barely tolerate my presence in small doses. _Kol felt incredibly saddened to admit this.

_You are fairly inventive on a good day. Figure it out._

_That was almost a compliment. Why, brother, I do believe the combined efforts of Caroline and our little Bennett have made you a sap!_

But Kol's expression softened as she sniffled against his brother's shoulder. He would honor his promise to Niklaus and he would protect Bonnie from any and everyone who wished her harm. Even if that meant using his most dreaded form to achieve it.

Bonnie awoke the next morning feeling lighter. She had her doubts about telling any of the Mikaelsons about Jeremy hitting her after they argued about sex, but she had to tell someone. Out of all the Originals, Elijah would have been the most obvious choice. Although, he had a well-known streak for causing his share of pain when angered like his siblings. Still, it did make her feel something knowing that both Klaus and Kol were angry enough on her behalf to hunt Jeremy down and exact that pound of flesh in her name.

Bonnie missed the old days. The days before the supernatural world decided it was time to take a shit on her mundane life. Still, she couldn't regret the surprising friends she gained in Stefan (even if Elena bitched him out about talking to 'the traitor'), being able to connect with sister witch Lucy, Marcel, and the Originals. Yeah, she even counted Kol in her circle. Even if he was completely full of himself. She was touched yesterday when she saw the fury and quick glimpses of pain in his eyes on her behalf.

"Get it together, Bennett," she shook her head. "The last thing you need is to fall for Kol Mikaelson of all people."

Bonnie climbed out of bed and started the shower. She set her iPod to random and sung along to Erica Campbell's Help. Bonnie could count the people on one hand who knew she could sing. Her Grams would always ask her to sing on Sundays at church and on Christmas. Bonnie never told her friends because attention was something she never really cared to have.

As it was Sunday and Bonnie had already finished all her homework, she didn't really have any plans, aside from avoiding Jeremy's calls that is. Bonnie pulled her hair in a ponytail and slipped on a three-toned red and pink pastel sundress. It was such a beautifully warm day out, Bonnie decided to have a picnic in the backyard and read something other than her grimoire. She made a turkey sandwich on honey wheat bread, sliced up two green apples, took a bag of all strawberry Welch's fruit snacks from her secret stash, and grabbed a cream soda from the fridge. She placed everything inside her wicker basket and stepped outside. She stood barefoot in the middle of her backyard, her toes wiggling against the soft blade of grass. She closed her eyes as the whisper of a breeze swirled around her as if nature was taking a soft sigh. These were the calm moments Bonnie longed for.

Bonnie spread out her blanket and settled down, turning up her music. She ate half of her sandwich while she watched the leaves sway in the wind. When she finished, she cracked open Stephen King's Under The Dome. Bonnie refused to watch the series until she finished the book. She lay on her stomach with her legs up and ankles crossed. The strap of her dress fell down one of her shoulders as she sipped her soda through her crazy straw. As Bonnie immersed herself in the crumbling society of Chester's Mill during their entrapment under the sly rule of Big Jim, she had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her.

Bonnie breathed in and out calmly, her eyes roving over the page as if she were still reading, when she was really feeling around with her magic for any supernatural being prowling around.

SNAP!

Bonnie's eyes flickered towards the woods hearing the sound of a twig snapping and was fully prepared to used her magic when she saw two tawny eyes staring back at her.

"Aww!" she cooed. Bonnie put the book down and held her hands out. "Come here, sweetie." The little animal took slow, hesitant steps towards her. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. Come here."

_Meow._

Her little watcher was a furry chocolate brown kitten with streaks of caramel running through its coat. It had large dark eyes, white paws and the cutest little pink nose. The little kitten stepped on her blanket and perched in front of her.

"What are you doing out here, sweetie?" she noticed that the kitten wasn't wearing a collar. "Where's your mommy?"

_Meow._

Hoping it wouldn't run, Bonnie reached out and was pleasantly surprised when the kitten allowed her to lift it in her arms. The kitten was warm, soft and light in her arms, purring as she stroked its head.

"I wonder how you got out here." Bonnie could only giggle as the kitten nuzzled the top of its head against her chin. "Well," she said after a moment. "There's still about four hours of daylight left. You can stay with me while I read."

Bonnie put the little kitten down and resumed her position on her stomach, opening the book again. The little kitten seemed content just watching her. Even as Bonnie's indignation grew as she came across the passage where the four thugs that made up Chester's Mill junior deputized police force gang raped poor Sammy Bushey in her trailer with her baby screaming in the next room or the tear fell from her eye when the little boy Rory died from the ricochet bullet he shot towards the dome, the little kitten watched her. Its head tilted as if she was the most fascinating specimen it had ever come across in its young life. Of course, baby animals, kittens especially, craved attention. Bonnie focusing on anything but it was unacceptable. The playful kitten decided it was time to get its human's attention again. The little kitten crouched low on the blanket with its rump and hind legs raised.

Bonnie was startled out of her novel when the little kitten propelled itself onto the pages looking up at her with wide and slight smug eyes.

_Meow._

Bonnie could only laugh. "Okay, point made."

She began to pack up her basket noticing that as the sun started to fade the trees grew stock-still. Bonnie was a stark believer in nature conveying messages and she received the message loud and clear. Outside was no longer safe. She held her basket and blanket with one arm, and used the other to gently pick up the little kitten who kept its head turned towards the trees, emitting a not so very impressive feline growl.

Bonnie had almost made it through her backdoor when the little kitten jumped out of her hand and stood on the porch staring up at her. "What's wrong?" then immediately blushed. It's not as if the kitten could actually answer her. Ridiculous!

_Meow._

Unknowingly, the little kitten was giving her the best Puss In Boots impression thus far. "You can come inside. I know you don't want to spend the night on the porch."

The little kitten purred as if pleased and crossed the threshold with a little kitty strut that made something tick in the back of Bonnie's mind. She closed the door, locked it, and chanted a spell that she and Lucy had been working on. The idea for the spell came to her when she was watching Skeleton Key. She liked the idea of brick dust protecting your home from being entered by someone who wished you harm. The drawback to that idea was that it only worked if you believed in it. So Bonnie and Lucy came up with a spell that would protect her home from anyone, human or supernatural from even crossing her property line if they had the slightest thoughts of causing her bodily harm. The spell did have its limitations however and only worked when Bonnie was actually inside the house.

She closed the door and locked it, sighing as the protection slid in place. "Now," she said cheerfully. "Let's get you something to eat." She picked up the kitten and carried it into her kitchen. She laid out an old towel on the countertop and set the kitten on top. "Unfortunately, I don't have any cat food, but there's lots of canned milk. My ex-best friend was addicted to my sweet potato pie. I'm hoping that my new friends will feel the same." The kitten seemed to be listening intently as it watched her pull a can of carnation canned milk from one of the upper cabinets and a decorative ceramic bowl. "It's crazy the difference a year makes. This time last year, I was learning and hating the existence of vampires, but through it all, I never thought that I would lose Elena. She's the best friend that loves the pie." Bonnie opened the can of milk and poured it into the bowl. "We were friends since we were both in diapers. I didn't think that there was anything that could ever ruin that friendship. Even when Damon took a chunk out of my neck and Stefan had to give me his blood to save my life." The kitten raised its head from the bowl and hissed. She looked down at the kitten as it bumped the back of her hand with its head. "Is something wrong with the milk, sweetie?" she scratched behind the kitten's ears as it purred and rolled onto its back. Bonnie looked down at the kitten and pouted as she scratched its stomach. "So much for calling you Emma." The kitten looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Well, I always said if I ever had a pet cat the name would be either Emma or Sylvester. Since you're obviously NOT an Emma, you'll be my little Sylvester."

_Meow._

While the newly christened Sylvester finished his milk, Bonnie made herself a small dinner of baked chicken breasts glazed in barbecue sauce, mashed potatoes, and a can of string beans with sweet rolls. She turned on her iPod while she cooked. She bit her lip and looked over at Sylvester who watched her as he lapped at his milk.

"You know, even though I'm taking a short sabbatical from organized religion, I make it a habit to only listen to gospel music on Sundays. But between you and me, I cheat from time to time. Now don't go telling anyone." She selected her Aaliyah playlist and started to hum softly as I Don't Wanna began to play. Soon she was singing along to the lyrics.

Sylvester watched her every move in fascination. She stopped singing and turned down the music when her phone started to ring. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Bonnie."

His posh voice always made the corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiled. "Hi, Elijah. What's up?"

"I am calling to inquire if you might have heard from my brother today?"

"Which one?"

"Kol."

Bonnie snorted before she could stop herself. "No, thank god."

Elijah sighed softly. "Will you never get along?"

"I'm not the one with the problem, Elijah. Your brother is the most self-centered, egotistical being on this planet it has ever been my misfortune to meet." Tawny eyes followed her around the kitchen as she paced, until she settled into a chair at the table. She let out a short laugh when Sylvester jumped from the counter onto her lap.

"Bonnie?"

"Sorry, my new little friend just decided to do a nose dive onto my lap from off the countertop."

Elijah paused. "I am afraid I do not understand."

"A stray kitten wondered into my yard." Bonnie gently scratched behind his ears. "And stop making that face. He doesn't have fleas."

"I assure you, I am not making a face."

"Mmm-hmm, and tomorrow's Christmas, right?"

She could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "Kol has not contacted you at all then?"

"No. He's probably resting between some hapless girl's thighs right now. Don't worry so much."

"Thank you, Bonnie, that is just the type of visual I needed to have."

"You're welcome," she answered cheekily, ignoring his mutters. "If you're that worried, just have Klaus call him. You know he'll at least answer his call."

Elijah sighed deeply. "I suppose you are right."

Bonnie bit her lip. "Is there a particular reason you're worried? Is there something I can do to help?"

"No, dear," she could hear the smile in his voice. "Just the paranoid worries of an incredibly old man."

Bonnie pouted a little. "At least you don't look incredibly old."

He laughed lightly, the rich sound warming her. "Thank you, my dear. May I expect to see you tomorrow?"

"Yep, I'm sure Bekah will demand I visit since she spent so much time with Matt this weekend." Bonnie was happy that two of her friends had found love, but she really did miss spending time with them.

"Very well. Goodnight, Bonnie."

"Goodnight, Elijah." Bonnie ended the call and tilted her head. Sylvester was sitting on her lap staring straight at her. She didn't think cats really had expressions, but if they did, this little one was looking at her full of reproach for some reason. If he had been human, she could imagine that his arms would have been folded across his chest. "Oh, don't give me that look. Remember when I said I lost my friendship with Elena? Well, Elijah is the head of the family that was the catalyst. Oh, his brother Klaus likes to play the leader, but it's actually Elijah's job. Since Finn died, he takes it seriously. His brothers and baby sister are his world. Elijah rarely shows any emotions, but I can see through that. He just wants to live in peace with his family. My friends and I were so worried about Klaus hurting Elena that we didn't care about his feelings or even attempt to go to him for help when she was being threatened. We cost Elijah his brother and I'm not sure I can ever forgive myself for that." Bonnie blinked back tears as Sylvester mewed and rubbed his body against her stomach to make her feel better. "You are just the sweetest little thing ever." She set the kitten back on the towel, quickly washed her hands in the sink, and finished cooking her dinner.

She set her dinner on the table and poured a glass of iced tea. She watched Sylvester as he watched her. Again, something ticked in the back of her mind as his tawny eyes probed her. "I still want to know where you came from."

_Meow._

Bonnie smiled, melting in the cuteness that was her new pet. "Oh, well, you're mine now. Tomorrow, I'm buying you some actual solid food. I hope you know realize now that I take good care of my things, and you little Sylvester are mine."

She was sure she imagined the triumphant glow to his tawny eyes.

After dinner, Bonnie cleaned up the kitchen and carried Sylvester upstairs with her. She let him sit on her bed as she stripped down to her underwear preparing for her bath. Sylvester made a choking, almost wounded sound. When she spun around to see if he was alright, he was laying on his stomach with his paws over his eyes.

"Oh, you are just the sweetest thing ever!" she laughed. As silly as she found it, she grabbed the silk robe Rebekah insisted on buying her and tied the sash. "There! All decent." Bonnie watched little Sylvester uncover his eyes and blink at her. "Thank you for being such a gentleman." She turned on her TV and loaded the first disc on Pretty Little Liars season 4. "This is one of my favorite shows. I have this little tradition where I watched the previous season to catch up. We can get started as soon as I'm done."

Bonnie disappears inside the bathroom and Sylvester hears the shower switch on. The kitten gives it about five minutes before jumping down off the bed and darting down the stairs. The transformation back from animal to man is not painful, but not particularly pleasant either. The youngest Original brother cracks his neck and looks towards the window. His enhanced vision gives him the perfect view of the soon-to-be dead Baby Gilbert stalking Bonnie's house from the tree line.

He controls his anger for once and shoots a quick text to Niklaus and hurriedly changes back as he feels the atmosphere begin to literally choke the life out of him. His cat form, _Sylvester_, had been invited in, but Kol the Original vampire would need a separate invitation. For some reason, he had the distinct feeling that this would not be as easy.

**AN: Thoughts? Criticisms? Review, review, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hi, guys! I know this update has been a long time coming, and I'm sorry to you all for keeping you waiting while I lost myself in the dramas of daily life.**

**For those of you who have been asking me, To Love, Perish & Devour is a one-shot only. I appreciate all of you who wish to see more, but I feel that this Bonlijah story has reached its climax. Pun fully intended.**

**As for The Mikaelson's Bennett… I'm still working out where I want the next chapter or two to go.**

**But on a brighter note, I am in the midst of developing two separate Season 2 & 3 TVD stories centering on Klonnie.**

**So, without further preamble, here is the long awaited second chapter to Sylvester.**

**Let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: **The characters within this story are the property of LJ Smith & The CW. No copyright infringement intended.

**Chapter 2.**

Bonnie spent the night watching Season 4 of Pretty Little Liars with Sylvester curled up at her side, explaining who the characters were and giving him a brief history of some of their misdeeds, secrets, and hookups. She fell asleep halfway through with Sylvester lying on her pillow watching her throughout the night.

Bonnie woke that Monday morning feeling even better than she had the day before. That wonderful mood quickly soured, however, when she noticed that Sylvester was not in her room or in any of the rooms in her house. She almost wanted to cry knowing that her little friend had abandoned her.

Across town at the Mikaelson Manor, Rebekah sat before her vanity mirror applying lipstick. She had plans of inviting Bonnie over afterschool to make up for ditching her the entire weekend to be with Matt. When Rebekah loved, she loved with her whole heart. Unfortunately, that often left her priorities skewed, and those she called friends neglected.

"Look at you!" Rebekah internally groaned, hearing the chipper voice of her most annoying big brother standing in her doorway. "I gather you getting all gussied up is more in the way for the brother slaying commoner than school, eh, Bekah?"

Rebekah's eyes narrowed as she tried, unsuccessfully, to forget that Matt was not only one third of Team Kill Finn, but that he was actually the one to drive the white oak stake through his heart. "I have asked you not to call him that."

"And I have asked you to at least attempt to find someone worthy of your affections, little sister. You clearly ignore my wishes. Why should I extend any courtesy towards you in regards of the child?"

He looked so damn smug. Rebekah wanted to claw his eyes out. "What do you want, Kol?" she demanded, having long lost her patience.

Kol's answer was anything but simple. "A favor of sorts."

Rebekah regarded her brother coolly. "Oh, really? What could I possibly do for my sanctimonious, family honor above thou brother?"

Kol was unamused. "I only ask that you keep a closer eye on our beloved Bennett witch."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "I refuse to stalk Bonnie because your presence makes it impossible for her to tolerate being in the same room with you without someone forcing her." Rebekah smacked her lips, foregoing any effort in masking her silent glee over the witch favoring her more than him.

Kol's expression remained blank, but Rebekah knew her brother well enough to see how much her comment irked him. "It is for her safety, not my benefit."

All humor and spitefulness vanished from Rebekah's expression. "Who is she in danger from?"

"The Gilbert boy."

Her eyes flashed as she growled lowly. "I thought that little nuisance had gotten the message that she wanted nothing more to do with him after she took up with Marcel?"

Kol's eye twitched in remembrance of his 'nephew' turning his little witch into an exhibitionist on a night when there was entirely too much alcohol circulating through the Mikaelson household, courtesy of Niklaus's party obsessed lover. "He obviously did not." Kol wanted to tell his sister what the boy had done to Bonnie, but both he and Niklaus had promised to keep it between the three of them. "He has convinced himself that he can take her from us, sister." Kol moved closer to Rebekah. He placed his hands on the chiffonier, boxing her in as their eyes met in the mirror. "He wishes to bring her back into the Gilbert fold so that she may once again serve the doppelganger and obey her Salvatore toys." Not exactly the truth, but…

"She is ours!" Rebekah hissed, angrily.

Kol inwardly smirked. He knew he had his sister right where he wanted her. He had learned from the best after all, and there was no better teacher in the arts of subtle persuasion and intimidation than Niklaus.

"Do not engage him," he warned her. As well-meaning as she was, Rebekah was too much like him in ways of acting before considering every possible outcome resulting from those actions. While they all loved Bonnie, and she loved them back to a certain degree, they still ran the risk of losing her if there were any blood spilt on her behalf. Martyr to the very end, she was. "If the boy approaches Bonnie and she shows any discomfort in his presence, diffuse the situation, preferably without bloodshed, and get her out safely."

"Without bloodshed?" Rebekah's eyes widened as her intuitive instincts began to work. "Kol, you are worrying me. Bonnie is not in physical danger of this boy, is she?"

Deep down, his sister was a caring person, and she loved Bonnie as if she really were her sister. She was the best choice to keep her safe while he was otherwise, unavailable. "It won't come to that. Just keep her close."

"And while I am doing that, where will you be?" she questioned, returning to her old suspicious self. Ah, that was what he loved about his sister. Say what you will about Rebekah, but she was consistent.

"I have some personal matters to attend. See you later." Kol made his exit before she could question him further.

He immediately went to Elijah's study, knowing either he or Niklaus would personally drag him up there if he continued to ignore their calls and messages. Kol opened the door without knocking and sauntered inside. Niklaus was of course pacing while Elijah stood calmly gazing out of the window with his hands behind his back.

Niklaus's head snapped up upon his approach. His stormy blues locked on his own brown eyes angrily. "How nice of you to drop by."

Kol smirked, loving that he had irritated his hybrid brother before it was even 8 a.m.

Elijah interrupted before he could give a snarky response back that was sure to reveal that pulsing vein in his brother's forehead. "Have a seat, Kol."

Kol's smirk faded as he rolled his eyes and acquiesced. Bonnie was right. Elijah was taking his role as the new head of the family a little too seriously. He threw himself into the chair across from Elijah's desk. Just to annoy Elijah in a way that only he could achieve, Kol lifted his feet and propped them on top of the shiny cherry wood finish. He watched the outlines of his brother's shoulders tense briefly. He clearly knew what Kol had done without having to turn around.

"Where were you last night?" Elijah questioned, evenly.

Kol shrugged his shoulders, uncaring that Elijah couldn't see. "Out." He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a half-eaten bag of Welch's Strawberry Fruit Snacks. While the little clumps of gelatin looked remarkably unappealing, Kol couldn't deny that they were tasty, although he would rather taste them on Bonnie's lips. Just to be honest. "Where were you?"

Elijah inhaled sharply, his composed mask slipping just a little. "Your cheek is neither wanted nor appreciated, brother."

"You said it exactly right, Elijah. You are my brother, not my father. So please stop this it's-in-my-prerogative-to-monitor-your-every-move act you have going on, and get to the bleeding point."

Niklaus stood back watching with more than a little amusement as Kol defied their older brother at every turn. While Niklaus in some ways agreed with Elijah, which was a shudder inducing thought in itself, he was beginning to be unbearable with questioning their whereabouts and demanding that they have a family dinner at the end of every week to catch up on each other's lives. They lived in the same house, leading the same lives every day for fuck's sake! What else was there new to tell?

Kol gave his brother a small nod almost hearing the line of his frustrated thoughts in terms of Elijah.

Elijah sighed deeply and turned to his youngest brother with almost sad eyes. "Must you fight me on everything, Nikolay?"

Kol's eyes instantly darkened. He knew what his brother was doing and he was not about to fall for it. "I was feasting, big brother. I consumed so much blood I could literally bathe in it. Is that a problem?"

If anything, Elijah's eyes grew sadder. "Is this really the legacy you want to honor Finn's memory?"

"Brother." Niklaus warned.

Kol laughed gaily. "Was that meant to make me feel something? Finn is a memory because of his own makings. Attempting to use his name as a way of invoking my nonexistent humanity is a waste of both our time, so by all means, say whatever it is you have to say, as I have no desire to be in your presence longer than absolutely necessary."

It was harsh, it was hurtful, and in many ways, unjustified, but Kol couldn't bring himself to care. On top of worrying over the safety of a witch who would soon rather become the battered Mrs. Bonnie Gilbert than spending a few moments of her time in Kol's presence without the use of deception and trickery, he had Elijah seeking to manipulate him into being the good little brother he wanted him to be by dredging up memories of a time before broken bonds and lost trust.

The stoical façade that their mother had worn so well whenever she chose to turn a blind eye to Mikael's sadistic punishments rather than shielding her children, emerged on Elijah's face and Kol hated him all the more for it. "I will make this simple. You are far too old to behave as a fledging and I will not stand for your feckless ways exposing us."

Kol rolled his eyes and looked impatiently at his watch. "What is it you think I have done now?"

Niklaus passed Kol the morning edition of the Mystic Falls Gazette. The headline seemed to jump out at him. STANWYCK TWINS MISSING. It wasn't that his two brothers were watching him with accusing eyes. It wasn't that the girls were missing, people went missing every day. It wasn't even that these were the two daughters to one of the town's founding families. It was that these were girls that went to school with him and Rebekah. Girls that were a grade under him and his sister and passed him every day in the halls. It was all a little too coincidental for his taste.

"No, I did not kill, nor did I harm these girls." Kol tossed the paper back onto Elijah's desk and rose fluidly to his feet.

"And we should believe you?"

Kol lifted his eyebrows completely unconcerned. "You and I both know that you believing me is not something that matters to me, Elijah. But even if I dedicated the remainder of my immortal existence to haunt you in all my ghastly deeds," he said, his mocking smile returning full force. "I would not be as obvious as to go after the heirs to the founding families."

"And why not?" Niklaus asked, more curious than anything else. "This seems like your particular brand of crazy, brother."

Kol scoffed incredulously. He pointed to Niklaus, "pot," and then to himself. "Kettle, brother. But to answer your question, Nik, we both know that the little ragtag protectors of the town are more than capable of keeping us at bay." He turned towards Elijah, despite still speaking to Niklaus. "And we all know that in the end, should one of us fall, our fearless leader won't bat an eyelash, much less strike out in vengeance."

Kol turned on his heel and strode out of the room. Whatever good mood he had gained the night before from spending time as Sylvester with Bonnie, had since vanished. He needed to see her again, and while it would be more convenient to arrive as himself, he preferred her looking at him with something more than exhaustible patience and thinly veiled hostility.

He had no intentions of revealing himself to her yesterday in her backyard. But she drew him in. The way she lay on her blanket, the sun shining down on her flawless skin, the way the strap of her dress fell down her shoulder, Kol had to move closer. Stepping on that branch startled them both, and when she accepted him as easily as she did, he knew it would be impossible to want to stay away from her.

Kol had only made it to the front door when Niklaus caught up to him. "What now?" he gritted out, completely aggravated.

"I just wanted to know if you spent the entire time with our mutual concern last night?" he asked carefully, aware that the house had ears.

"I did."

Niklaus waited impatiently for Kol to elaborate. He didn't. "Well?" he demanded.

The corners of Kol's lips curled. "It just kills you not knowing everything, doesn't it, brother?"

"Kol," Niklaus growled.

"Nik," he answered, mockingly.

The brothers stood locked in a game of wills for all of five minutes before Niklaus groaned. _Is she safe?_

Kol's expression shifted. It always amazed him that his cruel, ruthless brother could deign to give as much of himself away as he did whenever they spoke telepathically. _She is. In fact, I should go over now and see to it that she remains so._

Klaus nodded once and then paused. _Kol, how is it that you managed to go undetected in the witch's presence?_

Kol smiled cheekily. _Ah, brother, I can't go around giving away all my secrets, now can I? Besides, if you decide to turn dagger happy on us again, I need to have some fighting chance against you._ Then, just to reveal that secret vein, Kol moved forward with preternatural speed and gave his brother a wet smack on the cheek.

"KOL!" Niklaus roared angrily, charging after his brother.

Only Kol's taunting laughter lingered in the air.

Bonnie gave herself the once over again. Rebekah was on her way to pick her up for school. It was cooler that morning than yesterday. She went for something simple. A black buttoned long sleeved blouse, a dark blue denim skirt that reached mid-thigh, a pair of tights underneath that, and midnight blue ankle booties. She left her long hair curly and hanging around her shoulders with a jeweled barrette pulling the locks back from her right ear. Her earrings were medium sized silver loops. She wore her Bennett "B" necklace and her birthstone ring. She wore very light makeup with one coat of pink lipstick.

Still, she couldn't remove the frown marring her beauty. Not that she was really frowning. It was more of a pout. Was it really possible to become so attached to something in the course of less than 24 hours?

"Whatever," she sighed, dismally. "He's gone now anyway."

Bonnie grabbed her messenger bag, double-checked for her phone and house keys and went downstairs. She grabbed a bottle of Mott's and a green apple from the fridge and stepped outside. She set her bag down on the chair on the porch, completely missing the furry little figure sneakily wedging itself inside her bag, and locked the front door.

Rebekah pulled in front of the house moments later, honking the horn. "Move your ass or we will be late!"

"Good morning, Rebekah. I'm doing well, and my weekend was fine. Thank you for asking," she answered dryly, securing her bag on her shoulder. "How are you?"

"Snarky," she acknowledged, as Bonnie set her bag down on the backseat. She was speeding towards the school moments later letting Bonnie fiddle with the radio. "I am so sorry for ditching you this weekend, but as you well know my brothers are not the most welcoming of my suitors, Matt in particular."

Bonnie bit her lip thoughtfully. She knew that Matt regretted hurting Rebekah when he killed Finn. That she was willing to move past it and pursue a relationship with him spoke volumes over how she really felt about him. "I know. I'm not really mad or anything. I was a little lonely at first, but…" her thoughts drifted back to Sylvester.

"Then why, may I ask, are you wearing that god awful pout?"

Bonnie huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not pouting."

"I stand corrected then." Rebekah reached over and turned the radio all the way down, hitting the brakes a little too hard. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"What?" Bonnie was startled.

"Seriously, Bonnie? I expected this from the idiot girls we attend school with, but you, you were supposed to be the smart one. How the hell could you let this happen?"

"Let what happen? I don't even know what the hell you're talking about!"

"You're pregnant!"

Bonnie was silent for all of ten seconds before she erupted in uproarious peals of laughter. "Wow, do me a favor and lay off the O negative, Beks."

"I am not joking. I can hear the second heartbeat."

"Then your advanced age must be finally catching up to you because the last guy I slept with is easily classified as sterile." Bonnie paused. "And no, there won't be any baby Gilberts climbing out of this womb if it makes you feel better."

Rebekah seemed utterly confused. "Then what…?" she tilted her head and listened closely. Her eyes narrowed on the backseat. "There is something inside of your bag. Something alive."

Bonnie looked at Rebekah like she was crazy until she was seized by a wild hope. Could it be? Bonnie quickly, but carefully picked up her bag and set it on her lap. Her hands hesitated as she went to open the flap. She hoped that it really was him.

"Oh, for god's sake!" Rebekah impatiently flipped the flap back and was astounded to see the little furry head peeking up.

_Meow._

"Sylvester!" Bonnie cried, joyously. She lifted the kitten and held him against her chest relishing in his little purrs. "Where did you go? I missed you so much!"

Rebekah looked from her friend to the little animal in her arms. "Okay, clearly I missed some things this weekend. Where did this, Sylvester you called him, come from?"

She started the car and pulled back onto the road and Bonnie explained how she met Sylvester and the night he spent with her until disappearing when she awoke.

"Seems a bit fishy though, doesn't it?" Rebekah hummed as the kitten purred against Bonnie's chest.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. A random stray kitten stumbles in your yard, without any indication of belonging to someone else. He looks remarkably healthy and is sneaky enough to climb into your bag when you are not looking."

Sylvester raised his head and growled at Rebekah.

"And then there's that! How the hell is he so aware of what humans are discussing? Does that not make your witchy radar twitch just a little?"

"Okay, one, please don't use the words 'witchy radar' ever again. Two, you are not human, Rebekah—"

"Tomato, tomato."

"—and three, Sylvester is just a little genius. Believe me, there's nothing about him that throws up red flags."

Sylvester looked smugly at Rebekah who returned the look with much suspicion. "Fine. I don't suppose you plan on leaving him in the car until school ends. Not that I would encourage it. The little hairball might piss on my seats just for the fun of it."

"Of course I won't leave him in the car." Bonnie looked down at Sylvester and sighed. "I might need you to _persuade_ the teachers and staff to accept his presence today."

Rebekah laughed beautifully. "Do my ears deceive me? The righteous Bonnie Bennett is encouraging me to use compulsion on the poor defenseless faculty? The scandal!"

"Bekah, stop," Bonnie laughed. "Just do this one favor for me, please?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine, but only if I get to pick his first outfit." She looked triumphant as Sylvester's benign expression somehow morphed into horror.

"He's not a girl. Why would you want to dress up a boy kitten?" Rebekah parked in her usual space and Bonnie got out, holding Sylvester with one hand while shouldering her bag with the other.

"He doesn't need to be a girl to be dressed. When you come over today, we can shop online for some outfits." Rebekah paused, her eyes zeroing in on the car across the lot. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

"What?" Bonnie looked over her shoulder and felt her mouth drop open in shock. "What the actual fuck am I seeing?" she gasped.

Across the parking lot, Damon got out of his car with Elena and Stefan following. Damon suddenly spun on his heel, pinned Elena against the passenger side and assaulted her mouth while Stefan watched with his head tilted like a curious puppy. Damon finally let her up for air, pressed lingering kisses to her neck, and whispered something in her ear. She giggled and he stepped back. Damon playfully punched Stefan in the arm and hopped in the car, driving off. Stefan entwined his fingers with Elena's, pecked her on the lips sweetly, and led her towards the school entrance.

Caroline, who had appeared halfway through the show, whistled lowly. "And how is she different from Katherine again?"

"Simple. While Katerina's pastime is to play two brothers against the other, she could never get them to willingly share her," Rebekah answered, before turning to Caroline. "Enough with the deflection, Caroline. I believe you owe me something?"

Caroline rolled her eyes as Rebekah held out her hand expectantly. "Fine." She reached in her bra and slapped a $20 bill in her hand. "There, happy now?"

"You two bet $20 on Elena forming a three-way with the Salvatores?" Bonnie asked, incredulously.

"Ménage a trois," Caroline corrected.

Rebekah shuddered. "I sincerely hope not. Those usually involve EVERYONE having sex. Damon and Stefan together? Gag me now, please."

The three girls shared shudders of revulsion. Brothers and incest, even as vampires was not sexy. There was still about ten minutes before the first bell. The three girls decided to sit outside until then. Caroline immediately gushed over the cuteness that was Sylvester. He allowed her to hold him for all of two minutes before wiggling out of her hold and jumping back into Bonnie's lap. Bonnie munched on her apple while Rebekah and Caroline caught her up on their weekends. Bonnie considered telling them about her date from hell with Jeremy, but she wasn't exactly in the mood for a reenactment of what she had seen with Klaus and Kol. Bonnie's thoughts briefly touched on Kol as she brought her apple to her lips. Usually, he would have _graced_ them with his presence by now. Made some obviously insinuating comments to Bonnie that would have earned him a mild aneurism before he trotted off to chase his latest flavor of the week. Surprisingly, he was nowhere in sight.

"Bonnie!" Rebekah exclaimed, slapping the apple out of her hand before she could bite. It sailed through the air at a blurred speed before shattering against a tree.

"What the hell, Bekah? That was my breakfast!"

"That damned cat licked it when you weren't looking." She made a disgusted face to Sylvester who of course only meow innocently.

Bonnie looked down at the kitten in her arms and could only laugh. "Sneaky little bugger," she said, affectionately as it purred. "I haven't seen Kol this morning." She was careful this time to keep her bottle of apple juice out of Sylvester's reach.

"He might not come in today. Said something about having other matters to attend to. Honestly, I cannot understand why he even insists on going to school," Rebekah huffed.

"Because he likes to think of it as his own personal playground," Bonnie said, rolling her eyes.

Caroline smirked. "Why are you asking about Kol anyways, Bon?"

Bonnie kept her eyes on her friend as she slowly lowered the bottle from her mouth. "Don't look at me like that, Care. I only asked because he was late for his Monday morning harassment."

Caroline's smirk deepened. "Oh, so then it has nothing to do with you actually missing him a little?"

Both Sylvester and Rebekah perked up at this. Bonnie laughed. "I think you have been reading just a little too much fanfiction there, if you think that I miss Kol Mikaelson of all people."

"Come on, Bonnie. You can be honest with us."

"Honest about what?"

"There has been a lot of sexual tension flowing between you two. Caroline is not the only one who notices it," Rebekah chirped, examining her nails for nonexistent imperfections. Sometimes, she could be the female Elijah at times.

"And just who else has noticed this imaginary sexual tension?" she scoffed.

"Nik."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "No offense, Care, but your boyfriend sees sexual undertones in everything. I blame his dual nature…" she thought for a moment. "That and you bring out his inner horndog."

"Bonnie!" Caroline laughed and blushed.

"Next."

"Elijah, of course."

Bonnie snorted inelegantly. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Bekah, your brother is wound tighter than a jack-in-the-box with a broken spring. Shouldn't you be trying to fix him up with someone right about now?"

"And why in god's name would I do that?" she huffed, scandalized.

"Because his uptight, never a hair out of place, don't dare wrinkle the suit, demeanor suggests to me that he is more than a little backed up." She signified this by wiggling her eyebrows in a scary imitation of Kol, however unintentional it was.

The three girls looked at each before erupting in uncontrolled laughter, making more than a few heads turn quizzically their way.

"Yes, he is a bit strained," Rebekah agreed with a sigh.

"Elijah's more than hot enough…" Bonnie cut off when Sylvester made this weird hacking noise. "Sylvester, are you okay?" she rubbed his back and scratched behind his ears until he was purring again, missing the incredulous looks the two blonde vampires exchanged. Bonnie cast one cautious glance at Sylvester before she resumed her conversations. "And there's no short supply of women who would want to date him."

"Nik's little she-wolf is one option."

Caroline rolled her eyes and huffed. "_Hayley_," she sneered the name. "Would do well to find another object for her affections before I rip her heart out."

Bonnie blinked at the malice in her friend's voice. She was doing an extraordinary job of channeling Klaus's homicidal psychosis. "Umm, where did THAT come from?"

"She's being super obvious about wanting Nik. Do you know I actually caught her waiting in his bed naked?"

"And she's still breathing?" Rebekah questioned.

"Only because Nik refused to let me kill her because it would be," she cleared her throat and imitated Klaus's accent to perfection. "_A waste of a perfectly good hybrid_. Needless to say, that led to a screaming match which resulted in hours of hot, angry sex."

Bonnie shook her head more than a little amused. "Sounds like the perfect starter woman for Elijah."

Both Caroline and Rebekah looked at Bonnie as if she had gone crazy. "How do you figure that?"

"Simple, she clearly has that wild wolf sex drive and I think she can get Elijah to loosen up a little. No one said it has to be a love connection. Hayley could be a good distraction from him lording over all of you."

The bell rung and Caroline promised to keep it from Klaus in case he did something to jeopardize their plans.

"Clever little witch," Rebekah said as they made their way to their first class.

"What?" she set her bag down by her desk and carefully placed Sylvester on top of her desk.

"You may have gotten past one blonde, but this one will not budge. There _is _something between you and Kol."

"Bekah…" she sighed.

"Just admit it."

"Admit what?"

"Admit you are attracted to my brother."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I do find Kol attractive. If we're being honest, I think he's totally fuck hot, but nothing will ever happen there."

Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest with a deep frown. "And why not? I for one think that you may actually be good for him."

"Don't be offended, Bekah, but guys like Kol don't have it in them to settle down with one girl. At first, I thought it was just because of him being daggered for so long. Making up for lost time and all, you know? But now I realize that your brother just doesn't have the maturity for a serious monogamous relationship. I'm sorry, but I have no interest in joining his parade of girls who annually participate in the walk of shame."

Rebekah muttered something under her breath and turned to the teacher to compel him to ignore Sylvester's presence. Bonnie sat down and opened her notebook. She noticed Sylvester peering up at her with his unblinking tawny eyes. "Don't worry, sweetie. You are all the man I need."

Throughout the period, Bonnie diligently took notes while Sylvester amused himself by lunging for the rubber monster on the top of her pen. She wished she had asked Rebekah to compel the general pop at school to ignore Sylvester's presence, too. All the girls cooed and 'awwed' over him, insisting that she let them hold him. While Bonnie could sense Sylvester was enjoying the attention, he seemed to prefer just staying with her.

If that wasn't enough of an annoying way to start her day, Bonnie found herself rethinking Rebekah's words. Was there tension between herself and Kol? Yes. How could there not be? He had a self-grandeur complex greater than Damon Salvatore's—and that was saying a lot. But was there sexual tension? No. Absolutely not. His behavior was typical Kol flirting. Any female, barring Rebekah, Caroline & Elena were fair game. And even if she did decide that Kol was worth the time and effort he demanded, how would that work? They had nothing in common. Granted, she didn't know anything about him other than his temper tantrums often leveled small cities and towns.

_So, there. That little fact alone is enough to douse any flame that could spark between us. I don't date murderers. Marcel didn't really count because we spent more time smashing than actually going on Saturday strolls through the park._

And while Bonnie did enjoy the sex with Marcel, she still longed for something more than just the physical attraction. She wanted a guy who was interested in the things she was into and could argue the merits of a good movie or book by today's standards. The only guy who came close in that area was Elijah, and yeah, THAT was definitely not happening in any lifetime she lived.

Lunch finally rolled around and surprisingly, Sylvester was well behaved enough not to climb onto the tabletop and take an experimental lick of the processed food.

"Who's your plus one, Bonnie?" Matt asked, settling beside Rebekah while Caroline resumed her daily ritual of sexting Klaus.

"This is Sylvester. Sylvester, this is Matt, Virginia's own Tim Tebow."

"You're making me blush." Matt reached out to pet Sylvester on the head and had to immediately withdraw his hand or risk being bitten by his pointy little kitten teeth. "The hell!"

"Sylvester!" Bonnie admonished, turning him so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "You do not bite people. Especially Matt."

The three friends watched in awe and suspicion as the kitten wiggled his nose and turned his head from Bonnie looking very snooty.

"Fine. If you're going to be that way…" Bonnie put Sylvester down on the bench beside her and promptly ignored his presence.

"So…" Matt said after a few moments of weird silence. "You and Sylvester…talk?"

Bonnie made a face. "WE don't talk. I talk to him. Usually he meows back." Utter silence at the table. "And no, I AM NOT turning into that weird cat lady that lived down the street, Matt."

Matt raised his hands in defense. "I didn't say a word." He took a sip of his soda and his expression grew pensive. "But now that you mention it…"

Bonnie could almost feel the weight of Sylvester's eyes on the side of her face. As far as pets go, that little kitten was making it a job and a half ignoring him. She spied him from the corner of her eyes as she chatted with Caroline and Rebekah about routines to practice afterschool. He sat proudly on his haunches, his gaze unwavering. Bonnie couldn't decide if he was acting proud or pouting. Either way, it was too cute and taking too much of Bonnie's willpower not to give in and hold him again. Distantly, Bonnie wondered if it was natural to be so attached to an animal that had only popped up in her life yesterday, but then she remembered her first and only pet. She was seven and had inherited her mother's old fish tank. It was a small old thing, shaped like a cylinder, but had four dimension sides. There was room enough for one small artificial reef and a handful of blue stones to cover the bottom. The tank could hold about four very small fish. Bonnie had only one. To this day, she still couldn't remember the given name of fish breed, only that it was completely silver, save for a midnight blue speck surrounding its right eye. Grams told her if she could keep the tank up and the fish alive for a year, she would talk to her dad about letting her have the cute little Corgi puppy from Mrs. Johnson's faithful dog Sera. Bonnie didn't want to jinx anything and refused to name her fish for the first six months. Then one day she started calling the fish Aaliyah after the singer who became her idol. Aaliyah thrived in the tank and Bonnie knew she would have her Corgi in time for New Year's. But one day, she saw a tadpole swimming in the edge of a pond in the neighbor's yard. Not thinking how it would affect Aliyah or even the tadpole, Bonnie carefully rescued it and dropped him in the tank. The next morning she woke to find Aaliyah floating bottom upwards in the tank with the tadpole dead a few feet from her. Bonnie was inconsolable. She didn't cry and she didn't mope, but those that really knew her, could see how devastated she was under the mask. Her Grams insisted that she could still have the puppy for taking good care of Aaliyah for so long, but Bonnie swore she would have nothing to do with another pet again. The death of her beloved idol in 2001 reaffirmed that belief.

When it came to Sylvester, accepting him into her life was as easy as breathing. From the moment she caught his eyes from the tree line of her backyard, ignoring him or turning him away never occurred to her. Bonnie felt him nudge her hand. She stopped talking and watched as Sylvester used his front paws to pull himself up on her leg and rub his body along her stomach. She laughed in spite of everything and picked him up.

"I suppose I can forgive you." She ignored the looks her friends were giving her and said, "After practice, can you drop me by my house so I can pack an overnight bag?"

"Of course. I should text Nik and have him make his hybrids go shopping for us."

Bonnie chuckled. "You just live to torture those poor minions, don't you?"

"It is one of my few pleasures in this life."

The rest of the day passed in a relative peace. Along with Kol's inexplicable absence, Jeremy was a no show as well. Bonnie tried not to let her imagination run wild, but were their absences related? Kol was impulsive on a good day and reckless overall. With Elena's current dalliances with the Salvatore brothers, he could have easily gotten to Jeremy before she even realized he might be missing. Bonnie wasn't concerned for Jeremy's safety because she still loved him. Loving Jeremy was the last thing on her mind. But she knew him well enough to suspect that there was something more to his growing obsession with her. He had never shown any predilection towards violence with her when they were together. Yet now he suddenly didn't mind putting his hands on her? No, something wasn't meshing in Mystic Falls.

"Everyone else may be oblivious, but I know you well enough by now, Bonnie," Rebekah said to her as they walked to her.

Bonnie hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder, mindful of Sylvester nestled inside with his head peeking through the flap.

"What do you mean?"

"You were wearing your, 'I'm thinking about Kol' face," Rebekah answered.

Bonnie felt tired, Caroline had been extra demanding at cheer practice. Then to make it worse, Elena pouted and complained about not being at the top of the pyramid, which Caroline immediately reminded her that Bonnie's light weight allowed for her to fly higher and it didn't hurt that Bonnie knew the flips and tucks that could put them on state championship levels.

Bonnie absently ran her fingers through Sylvester's fur as he purred. "What are you talking about, Bekah? I don't have an 'I'm thinking about Kol' face."

"Yes, you do. It looks like this." Bonnie could only laugh as Rebekah widened her eyes in ridiculous proportions, nibbled on her bottom lip, twirled her hair around her finger, huffed with more indulgence than irritation, and stuck her lips out in an attractive pout.

"I don't do all of that when I'm thinking about Kol," she laughed.

"Aha!" she exclaimed triumphantly, wagging her finger in Bonnie's direction. "So you admit that you do think about my brother."

"Why are you pushing so hard for this, Rebekah?"

"Because my brother, although he may have spent one hundred years in a coffin, completely understands the concept of pulling a girl's pigtails and running."

Bonnie knew exactly what Rebekah was implying and kept her expression blank, even though the vivacious blonde's attentions had already shifted to their sleepover. Her mind was in a whirlwind. The thought of her and Kol was never something the witch seriously entertained, no matter how attractive he was.

"Bonnie?" Rebekah asked, a little too innocently as they backed out of the parking lot.

Bonnie looked at her friend warily. "Yeah?"

"You're thinking about Kol," she practically sung.

"Shut up, Rebekah." Bonnie would never admit she had been right.


End file.
